2000s Recipes + Menus
Hoppin’ John
Serves6 to 8
- Active Time:15 min
- Start to Finish:1 1/2 hr
"There is a dish that originated in Charleston called Hoppin' John," Edna Lewis writes in In Pursuit of Flavor, "which we had never heard of in Virginia." This (along with the fact that she found black-eyed peas a little dull) goes a long way toward explaining why she decided to gussy up its scrupulous simplicity—virtually unchanged through the centuries—with tomatoes. Well, nobody's perfect. Here you'll find the real thing, traditionally eaten on New Year's Day for good luck. Serve it with extra black-eyes and their pot liquor on the side to add more moisture, as well as a platter of simmered greens.
January 2008
- 1 lb dried black-eyed peas, picked over and rinsed
- 1 meaty ham hock (about 10 oz)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
- 9 cups water
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
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Bring all ingredients except rice to a boil in a large heavy pot, skimming any foam, then simmer, covered, until peas are barely tender, about 30 minutes. Transfer 4 cups peas and 4 cups cooking liquid to a heavy medium pot. Transfer ham hock to a cutting board, then set aside remaining peas and liquid in larger pot.
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Discard skin from ham hock and chop meat, discarding bone. Stir rice and ham into smaller pot of peas with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a rolling boil. Stir, then simmer, tightly covered, over very low heat until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let hoppin' John stand 10 minutes.
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Meanwhile, simmer remaining peas and liquid, covered, until peas are tender, about 10 minutes. Serve with hoppin' John.
- Keywords
- edna lewis,
- southern u.s.,
- pork
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